How to Decide Which Bridal Hairstyle is Right for You

So you’ve booked your hair and makeup stylist for your wedding – congrats! That’s one more crucial step complete. The next thing you need to start thinking about now in relation to your bridal beauty is what kind of bridal makeup and bridal hair you’ll choose for your wedding day.

There are multiple factors to consider when deciding what kind of bridal hairstyle is right for you – what is the weather going to be like at your destination? Are you willing to invest in extensions? Do you want your hair up or down? How well does your hair hold a curl? What vibe are you going for? Boho, classic, glam, modern? Are you willing to have highlights added to your hair? So many questions!

For the average bride, it can be really tricky to understand why one style might suit your needs more than another so let’s dive into the 4 most popular types of bridal hair looks and look at their pros and cons.

The textured up-style is probably the most popular, timeless and long-enduring bridal hairstyles. Whilst this style does evolve over time (popular with ‘boho weddings’ it has now been modernised and focuses on more textured ‘effortless’ touches rather than twists and curls iconic of a more boho style) is fundamentally remains the same – curled hair, gathered in a voluminous twist or bun with face framing pieces out at the front and around the hairline. This style suits almost any hair type and length – if your hair is long enough to be tied into a ponytail, it’s long enough for this style.

If you are getting married in a hot and humid destination or during summer (hello summer destination wedding in Italy!), this might be the hairstyle for you! If you’re a fan of a messy bun on a regular day, you’ll feel comfortable and just like ‘you’ in this style on your wedding day. This style is also perfect for hair accessories and works well with a veil.

This style might not be for you if you have very short hair, extremely tight curls or very frizzy hair as the face-framing pieces intrinsic to this style may fall victim to heat and humidity and end up looking messy. Instead, opt for the next style on our line up; the ‘sleek up-style’

Made iconic by the oh-so-chic Hailey Bieber, this next-generation of bridal up-dos is taking over weddings and with good reason! This style is sophisticated, modern and classy and allows your bridal makeup and wedding dress to shine without being overpowered by an elaborate hairstyle. This hairstyle is also perfect for a destination wedding in Italy, especially in summer as it will keep you cool, calm and collected. This style uses a lot of hair product to make sure every single hair stays in place all night long so you can be sure to dance the night away (headbang if you wish!) without worrying if your hair still looks perfect.

This hairstyle is perfect for almost every hair type and length and can be a great option for frizzy hair girlies as those pesky baby hairs and fly aways can be glued down for a long-wearing hairstyle. This style may not be the right choice for brides with extremely thin hair as hair extensions may peek through and become visible and having the hair lay smooth to the scalp may emphasise any sparseness.

This is THE bridal down-style of the moment – it looks effortless yet glam and is a perfect style to compliment a strapless, unembellished or silk crepe gown. Don’t be fooled; this style is not just any old down-style, this style takes precision, planning, a LOT of product and about 1-1.5hrs to complete! Whilst this is a very commonly requested wedding hair style, it takes a lot of work to achieve and not all hair-types can pull it off, even if you do have long hair.

9/10 people will need weave or clip-in extensions to achieve a full, thick, and luscious Hollywood wave. You may also need extensions for some added length as once your hair is curled it will look about 2 inches shorter than it normally does. Extensions are also crucial for thickening up the ends of your hair so that the wave falls beautifully at the ends of your hair, and it will also help your curl hold all night long.

Hot and humid weather will also make this kind of style drop pretty fast, so this bridal hairstyle is more suited to a fall/autumn or winter wedding. If you’re expecting your hair to look flawless without a single hair out of place all day, this style is probably not going to be the smartest choice. If you don’t really mind if your curls loosen and drop during the evening, then go for it! Even if the curls lose a little bit of oomph during the day, your hairstyle will still look beautiful.

This hairstyle is for brides who like the idea of having their hair down for their wedding but don’t want to deal with the fuss of having their hair in the way or dropping as the day progresses. This style is also a great way to showcase naturally thick and long hair without feeling pressured into having it down just because you have nice hair!

Brides with hair on the thinner side or whose hair isn’t quite long enough to create the drama a bridal pony deserves can always add clip-in extensions (permanent hair extensions may not work with this style so clip in is best) to their style to add volume, length and some dimension.

This style is perfect for hair types that struggle to hold a curl or keep volume during the day as the weight of the hair is secured in a ponytail so your curls will last longer and volume at the root won’t fall out.

Still unsure what look to go for on your wedding day? Make a Pinterest board of hairstyles that you like and share it with your bridal hairstylist as well as a photo of your hair out and unstyled and seek their advice. Hopefully this has helped clear up a few of the technical reasons why some styles are better suited to some more than others. Having a clear vision of your desired hairstyle on the day means the artist has more time to perfect your chosen style rather than fiddle around with a few different ones before finding the right one saving you time and stress!